


It's Enough, With You

by seafoamist



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fishing port, Friendship/Love, Iwatobi, M/M, Meet-Cute, Merman Nanase Haruka, SWEET BOYS, Secret Relationship, Slice of Life, Slow Romance, Student Tachibana Makoto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-20 17:08:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13151157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seafoamist/pseuds/seafoamist
Summary: One of them is a student. One of them is a merman. A spontaneous meeting brings them together, and Makoto soon finds himself bringing cooked mackerel down to the fishing port on a daily basis! He connects with Haru instantly, and a spark slowly burns between them as they learn about each other's different worlds.





	It's Enough, With You

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! Soo this is my first *official* posting of a Free! fic for me ;////; well, I just love MakoHaru so much so I can't help myself when it comes to them ^_^ I hope you will like this story!
> 
> This is a gift fic written for @sunkenscruffycat on tumblr for the mhgiftexchange2017! Check out this tag on tumblr if you want to see some of the other amazing posts!

Makoto sighed, trailing aimlessly down the path past the fishing dock. He was on his way home from school, not a little bit tired from waking up earlier than he needed to. If only he’d been able to remember he had a free period this morning and could have slept a little longer! Instead, he’d gotten up and hurried over to school, only to realise upon arrival he didn’t have class for an hour. If nothing else, it had made for an expectantly productive study session. Still, he yawned and rolled his shoulders back, it would have been nicer to sleep a little longer. 

Deciding to stop for a small rest, since he still had a few hills to walk up on his way home, Makoto settled himself down on the grassy ledge closest to the ocean. He loved the feeling of sea spray across his skin, something many people complained of. Perhaps it had to do with living in Iwatobi all his life, but Makoto thought it was refreshing. 

“Hey,” a voice called out, and on reflex Makoto looked straight ahead only to be met with a pair of deep blue eyes staring at him - oh, and the tail of a fish attached to the upper body of this person. 

“AAAAAAHHH!” Makoto screamed, reeling back and almost falling on his behind, “A-A mermaid!?”

“Merman,” the mermai–mer _man_  corrected, shaking his hair out. Water droplets flew everywhere, and Makoto was oddly, briefly entranced by it. 

Shaking his head, he rubbed at his eyes and wondered if he had maybe fallen asleep in his last class. Was he really that tired?

“Are you a fisherman?” The merman suddenly asked him, his head tilted to the side.

“A-Ah, no. I’m a-a student,” Makoto stuttered, blinking rapidly in order to clear his vision. Yet, no matter how many times he closed his eyes, when he reopened them the sight he saw was the same. 

There was no doubt about it. This was a real merman in front of him!

“Student?” Confused, the merman’s brows drew together and Makoto hurried to explain himself.

“Yeah, I go to high school! Do you know Iwatobi High? That’s my school, this is my uniform,” he explained, pulling at his shirt in order to show the merman what he was saying was true. 

After a long moment of examination, the merman gave a single, minute nod as if coming to a decision. Makoto hoped it was in his favour. Although he wasn’t sure about what ‘powers’ mermaids had, he didn’t really want to find out. 

“As long as you aren’t a fisherman,” the merman said, and Makoto’s shoulders sagged in relief. 

Feeling a bit more confident with the merman’s acceptance, he crouched down in front of him, “Don’t you like the fisherman here?”

“Not really. The boats they bring make the water unsettled, I don’t like it.” The merman grumbled, looking thoroughly displeased at the mere mention of said people. 

“What are you doing here? Are you lost?” Makoto questioned him, honestly wondering how such a spectacular creature ended up in the remote town of Iwatobi.

“No, I’ve always lived here,” the merman clarified, and Makoto’s eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“Eh? You mean in the ocean?” Makoto gestured to the wide expanse of blue in front of him. 

The merman inclined his head, “Yeah.”

“What about your family? Your friends?” Makoto tried, wondering if the merman had become separated from them during a storm and couldn’t find his way back.

“I don’t have any.” For the first time upon meeting him, the merman averted his eyes from Makoto.

“What?” Emerald eyes widened at the unexpected response. 

“My parents left when I could swim. There aren’t any others like me around here, either.” The merman explained, his tail making a  _splash!_  in the background as it swished around in the water.

Makoto fell silent for a moment, frowning at the merman’s words. it sounded like he was completely isolated, with only the company of sea creatures and the ocean. 

“It sounds lonely. Why don’t you try looking for them?” asked Makoto, hoping to hear a more positive response from the merman this time. 

“It’s troublesome, and I don’t mind being alone,” said the merman, much to Makoto’s dismay. 

Thinking for a moment, a cold thought snuck into his head that maybe it was the fisherman - humans - that had damaged the ocean environment here, thus leaving the merman without any kin of his own. 

“Wait – have you talked with humans like me before?” Makoto inquired, not sure on what answer he was hoping to hear. 

The merman swirled his fingers through the water, shaking his head gently in the negative, “I watch them, but they never see me.”

Curling his hand to form a cupping motion, the merman lifted it up with water cradled in his palm. Makoto watched as it trickled over the sides of his open hands, falling gracefully back into the ocean below. 

At that moment, the merman’s gaze flicked over to him, “You are the first human I’ve talked to.”

Coming to a spontaneous decision, Makoto leaned in closer and offered a friendly smile to the other, “I’m Tachibana Makoto. What’s your name?”

A bit hesitantly, the merman replied, “Nanase Haruka.”

“Then, Nanase-kun?” Makoto tried, tilting his head to the side and causing his fringe to fall across his eyes. 

“Drop the formality, it’s too troublesome,” Nanase Haruka, the merman, mumbled, making Makoto’s smile stretch further in amusement. 

“What should I do, then?” 

“Call me Haru,” the merman’s answer was instant, which made Makoto wonder if he had come up with the nickname himself or someone had given it to him in the past. Maybe one day, Makoto could ask him about it. 

“Alright. Nice to meet you, Haru!” To conclude their introductions, Makoto outstretched his hand towards Haru. 

Bright, blue eyes examined his hand for a second, but then Makoto felt the wet skin of Haru’s hand pressing into his. 

“Yeah,” Haru said, their eyes meeting each other. 

Smiling happily at the returned gesture, Makoto gave their joined hands a light squeeze. 

*

From then on, Makoto met with Haru every day after school. It was strange at first, and he still couldn’t quite believe himself sometimes. Going down to the port to hang out with a merman? But, the more time he spent with Haru, the less ridiculous it all became. Despite being a mythical creature of legends, he really was just as normal as Makoto. 

Well, of course he had his quirks, such as his penchant for ugly-but-strangely-cute things. When he had shown Haru his school’s mascot ‘Iwatobi-chan’, he had been subject to Haru’s sparkling eyes and watching him play with the small charm. It was endearing in the weirdest way, and it always made Makoto smile. Another one of Haru’s unique quirks was his all-encompassing love for mackerel. 

That was why, today he’d picked up a special treat on his way home. He’d stopped by a restaurant on his way that had mackerel, so Makoto had bought some, both grilled and steamed. He wasn’t sure what Haru liked, although he had an inkling Haru would accept mackerel in any and all forms. Hopefully it was still hot from the walk over!

“I brought you something, Haru!” Makoto called, heading over to their usual spot on the grassy slope.

Never far away at this time of day, Haru’s face surfaced above the water and he was soon swimming up to Makoto. 

Resting his arms on a nearby rock, Haru shook out his hair and then peered up at Makoto curiously, “What is it?”

“Some mackerel.” Makoto answered, anticipating Haru’s reaction.

“Mackerel?” Haru questioned, his entire being sparking wiith energy and his brilliant blue eyes lighting up.

“Mm, I picked it up for you since I know you like it so much. Here,” Taking out the Styrofoam container from his backpack, he passed it over to Haru, who took it with a silent kind of reverence.  

Then, he opened it and just stared. 

“What’s wrong, Haru?” Makoto hoped there wasn’t anything wrong with the mackerel, like a bug or a hair caught in it.  _Ah, I should have checked it first!_

“I’ve never had cooked mackerel,” Haru murmured, his eyes aglow as he stared down at the fish. 

“Really?” Makoto asked, relief flooding him that nothing was wrong with the mackerel. It was just Haru being...well,  _Haru_.

Now that Makoto thought about it, it made sense. Without legs, Haru could hardly leave the ocean and start a fire to cook. Eating it fresh and raw was the only option. Although the thought of it made Makoto squeamish, for eating raw fish on its own was not appealing in the slightest. 

He watched as Haru picked up a piece of grilled mackerel, then ate it. 

“How is it?” Makoto asked, tilting his head sideways and waiting patiently. 

“Not bad.” Haru commented when he had finished chewing, then quickly going in for more. This time he chose a steamed piece, and when he ate it there was another expression of delight behind his eyes. 

“I’m glad!“ Makoto exclaimed, happy that Haru was happy. 

“Thank you, Makoto,“ Haru muttered, his cheeks pink with excitement as he ate more and more of the fish. 

Seeing Haru blush made Makoto’s stomach swoop up and down, like he was on some sort of roller coaster. A strange, but not entirely unpleasant feeling. 

“Hey, Haru,” he asked, playing with a dandelion he had picked. 

“What is it?” Haru asked in return.

“Do you ever wish you could walk?”

“You mean having legs, like you?” Haru nodded to where Makoto’s legs were stretched out on the grass. 

Makoto’s head bobbed in a nod, “Yeah, that’s what I mean.”

“No, I don’t want to leave the water.” Haru’s reply was so without hesitation, Makoto had to stifle back a laugh. He didn’t want Haru to think he was making fun of him, but it was oddly cute of Haru to love the water so much. 

“Right? Haru is happiest when he is in water after all.” Makoto smiled, his eyes closing and his head falling to the side as a soft wind passed through. 

*

“It’s not good if people come looking for me,” Haru confessed one afternoon, when they were both lazing on the rocks just out of reach of the water’s touch. As much as Haru loved being in the water, he loved appreciating its beauty just as much, and liked to admire it alongside Makoto from time to time. 

Iwatobi was only a small town. If any piece of news got out, it was everywhere. There wouldn’t be a single person who wouldn’t be talking about it. Of course, rumours about a mermaid in the port town would spread like wildfire. The response was largely sceptical, although there were some whom believed the rumours, and that worried Makoto. Because the people who did were likely fanatics or fools hoping for a shining moment of fame. 

His mind flashed with a vision of Haruka tangled up in filthy fishing nets. His body writhing as his tail thrashed around inside, trying to find a way out. Haruka put on display inside a cramped water tank, still within water but without freedom. 

Makoto shivered. He did not want that to happen to Haru, to someone as gentle and genuinely harmless as him. He would protect Haru from such an unfortunate fate, it was his responsibility! Haru only stayed around here because of Makoto, so he refused to put him in any danger if he could help it. 

“Don’t worry, Haru. I won’t let them find you,” said Makoto, a quiet determination in his voice as he watched Haru’s tail swishing through the clear water. 

Even as Makoto promised that, it was not long until they encountered such a scary situation. He had been walking home from school, later than usual due to an unexpected accident in the school involving a fire drill when in fact there was no fire at all. 

When he walked down to the port, he noticed the fisherman’s boats had moved, and they were out on the ocean. Peering over at them, Makoto thought they looked like they were hunting something. A bad feeling swelled in his chest, and he quickly ran over to the grassy slope, checking for his merman friend. 

“Haru, Haru!” Makoto uttered urgently under his breath, panic starting to fill him. 

Then, Makoto saw it. Only for a second, but he could never mistake the bluish rainbow glint of Haru’s tail in the water. 

_What should I do?_

Makoto’s green eyes searched rapidly, then landed on the fishing boat in the distance. That was it! If he could draw their attention away from where Haru was hiding and provide a distraction, the merman could find an escape and swim to one of their secret places where no intruding eyes could get to them. 

Without a moment to spare, Makoto scurried over to where one of the boats were docked, using it to hide behind so the fisherman wouldn’t spot him. Then, he picked up the nearest thing - a half-empty bucket of bait - and hurled into the ocean as far in the opposite direction as he could. 

Upon hearing the new splash, the fisherman immediately changed course. Steering over to the direction Makoto had thrown it, they moved away from where Haru was undoubtedly hiding. Then, another flash of his tail and he was gone. 

Makoto moved as well, hurrying over to the secret beach only he and Haru knew about. About 15 minutes later, he was panting and sweating more than a little and whipped his head up to look for the merman.

“Haru! Are you here?!“ Makoto called, trying to catch his breath at the same time.

“Makoto,“ the smooth timbre of Haru’s voice floated over to him, and the tension bled out of Makoto’s body as he laid eyes on Haru, resting near a cluster of rocks close to the shore. 

“Haru! Are you alright? Are you hurt?“ Despite running all the way to the beach, Makoto hurried over to him, climbing on the rocks and sitting closely next to him. 

“I’m okay, they didn’t get close enough to touch me,“ Haru reassured him, and sure enough there wasn’t a bruise or speck of blood on his skin or tail. 

“Thank goodness! I was so worried, I thought they were going to take you,“ Makoto sighed out shakily in relief, running a hand through his hair. 

Before he could formulate a thought, Haru swooped in and pecked his cheek so sweetly, the soft sound of his lips smacking against Makoto’s skin. It was the sweetest sound he’s ever heard, Makoto thought dazedly. 

“E-EH? What was that for, Haru!?” Makoto spluttered, over the initial surprise and now blushing fiercely. 

“I see humans do this all the time,” Haru stated, as if that answered everything. 

“Do you know what it means?” Makoto asked after a moment’s hesitation, resisting the strange urge to press his fingers against the cheek Haru’s lips had been not seconds ago. 

“Of course. It’s a symbol of thankfulness.” Haru was completely assured of his answer, earnest almost as he leaned in closer to Makoto. 

Just when Makoto thought he couldn’t take anymore, Haru uttered in a soft voice, “I am thankful for having Makoto with me.”

“Haru,” Makoto whimpered, his heart beating faster at Haru’s simple explanation behind the kiss. 

Haru had a special kind of pureness in him that guided his actions and words without ill intent or cause to hurt. Maybe he hadn’t met that many people in his short life, but he surely hadn’t met anyone as genuinely pure as Haru. His good intentions and kindness were not easy to see at first, but the more Makoto had gotten to know him, the more these traits quietly revealed themselves. Haru wasn’t the type to draw attention to himself, but Makoto was hopelessly captivated all the same. 

“W-Well, you’re partly right,” Makoto stuttered, feeling unusually nervous as he attempted to explain a simple thing among humans, “Sometimes we kiss to show our gratitude, just like you did.”

Haru gave a nod, absorbing this new information. 

“But, other times it’s,” swallowing past his dry throat, Makoto couldn’t keep eye contact, “it’s to show our love.”

“Love?” Haru parroted, the confusion clear in his voice. 

“Love, as in romantic love,” Makoto blushed.

“You mean, for lovers?”

Makoto balked at Haru’s adeptness. He really figured things out quickly! 

“Y-Yeah, like that.”

“Have you kissed with a lover before, Makoto?” Haru asked, his eyes impossibly wide and deep as the ocean. 

“N-No, I haven’t.” 

He was only a high school student! Makoto tried to reassure himself, but even so, he knew guys in his grade had girlfriends already and were doing…intimate things, with them. Sometimes Makoto felt embarrassed, never even having his first kiss yet. 

“Then, can we kiss?”

At that, Makoto was speechless. He stared at Haru, their gazes locked as the waves lapped against the rocks. 

“This feeling I have when I see Makoto, I think it’s similar,“ Haru said, and Makoto could hear his heart pounding in his ears. All the blood in his body had rushed to his face, but he didn’t fail to notice how a rosy hue had overtaken Haru’s cheeks, and the tips of his ears. 

“Please?“ Haru’s face was suddenly very close to his, and Makoto had so many things to say but nothing was coming out.

“Haru, I,“ he muttered, even as the merman’s eyes had fluttered half-closed and his lips had parted.

Forgetting what he was going to say, Makoto’s eyes slipped closed and he closed the gap between them, Their lips pressed together sweetly, an innocent kiss. When they parted and Makoto opened his eyes, Haru’s smile pushed away all the worries in his head. Instead of speaking, Makoto smiled back and leaned in again, connecting their mouths together in another embrace. 

*

From then on, he and Haru were a couple. Sure, maybe it wasn’t normal...loving a merman was not something Makoto had ever imagined of himself, yet here he was. Then again, there was no one like Haru. Just being with him made Makoto happy, even if all they did was sit together and watch the waves come in from the sea. And somehow, Haru was happy with him too. 

There would always be, however, a part of their relationship that made neither of them happy...

“Remember that time, when you asked me about leaving the ocean?” Haru asked him on a breezy Saturday afternoon, not seeming at all like his confident and assured self. 

Makoto nodded, a slight frown on his face as he waited for Haru to explain himself. It was a little worrying, he knew Haru was struggling with something but couldn’t quite figure out what. 

“I asked if Haru wished he had legs, too.” Makoto provided the answer, proving he really did recall said conversation.

“I don’t want to leave the water,” Haru started, his eyes narrowing, “but I don’t want Makoto to leave either.”

“Wh-What are you talking about? I would never leave you, Haru!” Makoto hastened to explain, reaching an arm out to Haru as if to erase any space between them. 

“I can’t follow you everywhere. At the end, we always have to part ways.”  
Haru’s voice sounded so small, so sad. 

“I want to see Iwatobi, all the sights and places you go to.” Haru continued, and at that Makoto couldn’t refute his similar desire to have Haru at his side both in and out of the water. 

“I could show Haru so many fun places. You could meet my family too, I know they will love you.”

Smiling, Makoto could imagine Ran and Ren all over Haru, calling him  _Haru-chan_  and always wanting to play with him. His parents would simply love Haru because he was Makoto’s friend, and honestly Makoto couldn’t imagine anyone who would hate Haru. He was so easy to talk to, a calming presence in a fast-paced world that appreciated the simple things and took his time with others.

“If I take my human form, I can’t return to this one.” Haru explained, answering the question Makoto had always shied away from asking. 

But now, he had his answer. 

“You mean you’ll never have your tail again? You won’t be a merman anymore?”

Haru nodded, and Makoto’s stomach tied itself up in knots. It was so unfair, why did it have to be like this? Makoto almost blamed himself, for making Haru feel torn between two worlds all because Makoto had found him and couldn’t leave him alone. 

“Hey, don’t look so sad,” Haru’s voice called to him, and Makoto looked up to see the other had moved closer to him out of concern. 

Haru’s tail was so beautiful. He couldn’t imagine him without it, but at the same time Makoto wouldn’t deny his daydreams of Haru being just like him. They could go anywhere and everywhere together, and wouldn’t have to meet in secret anymore. Every day would be fun, with Haru by his side he couldn’t ask for more. 

“I’m sorry, Haru-chan,” he apologised, feeling bad for always causing Haru trouble.

“Why are you apologising? Dummy, I’m the one who should say that,” Haru huffed disapprovingly, then looked off to the side somberly, “Because I’m like this, we can’t be together.”

The words caused an unexpected blush to cover Makoto’s cheeks, but he didn’t worry about that as he sought to comfort Haru.

“Don’t say that! I like you just the way you are! You’re Haru!” Makoto told him, hoping that Haru would understand what he was saying. 

“And Makoto is Makoto,” Haru replied, and a pleasant warmth swelled in Makoto’s chest. 

“That’s right,” Makoto smiled encouragingly, noting the way Haru’s eyes shimmered with life. He had the most beautiful eyes, Makoto truly thought so.  

*

A month passed, and Makoto had to skip visiting Haru for two weeks due to his final exams. It had been surprisingly hard on Makoto, more than he expected. He had really gotten used to seeing Haru every day, it felt so natural. Not seeing him felt...wrong. Makoto missed seeing Haru’s face, holding his hand, and kissing him. He couldn’t ignore his studies, though. Haru had understood, and told Makoto to study well and not to visit him until it was all done. He’d also mentioned that he had something to show Makoto when his exams were over, which had more than piqued his curiousity. 

Well, that very day had arrived! He had finished his last exam at midday and had been excused for the rest of the day as the school year had finished. Makoto was so eager, he ran the last stretch of his walk to the port and over to the grassy slope that had become their spot. 

“Haru! I’m back! Exams are over, school is finished for this year!“ Makoto looked around, out to the ocean to catch a glimpse of Haru’s tail. 

“Welcome back, Makoto,“ Haru’s voice carried over to him from behind Makoto’s shoulder, and Makoto whipped around before he could register the thought it was strange Haru’s voice was coming from behind him. Behind Makoto, where there was nothing but grass and land. 

“Surprise.”

Haru was walking towards him – wait, what? Haru was walking! His tail was nowhere to be seen. A cold weight settled in the pit of Makoto’s stomach, and he swallowed down painfully while wishing this was somehow a dream. 

“Haru!” Makoto exclaimed, his eyes bulging and voice rising high, “You’re–!”

Despite waiting for Makoto to finish the rest of his sentence, it seemed he was suddenly struck voiceless as he only stared at Haru in awe. Haru was walking, how? No, that wasn’t possible. The only reason Haru would be walking would be because he had given up on his tail. And that-that would never happen.  _Unless, Haru decided to..._

Then, in the next moment Makoto’s green eyes had filled with tears. The realisation that Haru had given up his tail for a pair of legs hurt far worse than he had imagined in his aimless daydreams.

“What’s wrong, Makoto?” Haru asked, concern flickering over his face as he tried to quickly walk over to his side.

Tried, because Haru did stumble at the hurried pace he set himself at. His knees buckled, but he managed to regain his balance despite wobbling on the spot. At that point, Makoto had noticed and rushed over. 

“Haru! Are you okay?” His hands gripped either side of Haru’s arms, and Haru was surprised by how much strength was in them. 

“I’m fine,” Haru assured, straightening up to show his own strength, “I’m just…not used to them yet.”

“Haru, why?” Makoto whimpered, his eyes creased down sadly as his lips trembled around the words, “Why did you do this? Your tail,”

“Because I wanted to,” Haru shrugged, feeling slightly put out by Makoto’s negative reaction. He hadn’t imagined it would be like this. He had made Makoto  _cry_ , he was the worst. 

“Don’t you understand? You can’t return to live in the ocean anymore! You have to live on land, you can’t survive in there as a human.” Makoto’s voice rose, a sign of how distressed he was that it was leaking into his usually cheerful disposition. 

“I can come to the ocean every day. I can still swim like this,” Haru reasoned, and knew he could. He had practiced a few times already, and it hadn’t taken him long to get the gist of it. Really, it was just like having an extra, thinner tail.

“You can hardly walk as it is!” Makoto countered. 

Haru shook his head gently, hoping to calm Makoto down, “Swimming is natural to me. I can do it.”

“What’s with that baseless confidence!?” Makoto exclaimed, looking like he wanted to pull his own hair out but letting out a big sigh instead. 

“It’s my choice. I wanted it,” was Haru’s argument, and he was ready to defend his decision completely. 

Makoto immediately protested, “But, Haru you don’t–”

“It’s not safe for me in the ocean anymore. Those fisherman still haven’t given up after all this time,” Haru was quick to rebut, his words blunt and to the point. 

Ever since that day Haru had almost been caught, rumours of a mermaid in Iwatobi were still going strong. It was worrying, and made Makoto reluctant to leave Haru alone in the water where he couldn’t protect him. 

Then, Haru hesitated, curling his fingers into a fist at his side, “I can find another ocean, but I can’t find another Makoto.”

“Haru…” Makoto blubbered, tears welling in his eyes as he hung his head and sniffled. 

“Don’t cry, dummy,” Haru sighed, lifting up a hand to wipe away the tears that streaked down Makoto’s cheeks. 

“I’m so sorry, Haru!” Makoto wailed, hugging Haru tightly and making a small wet patch on the t-shirt material of Haru’s shoulder. 

“I already said it’s okay,“ Haru mumbled, although he wasn’t sure Makoto heard him since he was still crying.

“Hey, didn’t you want to show me around?” Haru asked, choosing a change of topic to distract the other for a moment. 

“A-Ah! That’s right!” Makoto brightened up immediately as he pulled away, and part of Haru felt relieved that he had managed to cheer him up. 

When Makoto was sad, Haru felt worse than he ever had. It was something he promised himself to keep away from Makoto at all costs! Makoto only deserved to feel happy and good things, after all. 

“Let’s go, Haru! I’ll take you to a lot of good places, and treat you for dinner!” Makoto clasped his hand in his, and walked at a slower pace than he usually did so it would be easier on Haru. 

One thing was for sure, Makoto thought as they walked along the path back the way Makoto had come. He would do everything he could to make sure Haru lived a happy life on the land, and visit the ocean with him as much as he wanted. Honestly, he would never be able to thank Haru enough for the gift he had given them. 

*

“Where are you going to live, Haru?” Makoto asked, as they walked back from town. It was nearing evening time now, approaching dusk but it was still light outside.

“With Makoto.” Haru replied instantly, setting Makoto’s cheeks on fire as his mind conjured up a dreamy scenario of living together with the merman-become-human. 

“H-Haru!” Makoto exclaimed embarrassedly, but Haru remained as unaffected as ever, “My house doesn’t have a spare room. You can’t.”

Haru blinked once, then tilted his head sideways and gave it a small shake, “That’s okay. I can sleep with you.”

“I-I don’t think that’s such a good idea, haha!” Chuckling nervously, Makoto would give anything to stick his burning face in a bucket of ice water at that moment. 

He was ashamed of himself for the flashes of images that played across his mind at Haru’s words, imagining how Haru would look without his clothes, completely naked and lying in Makoto’s bed, calling his name like-

“Why not?” Haru asked him, a hint of a pout on his lips.

Shaking out the sensuous imagery from his head, Makoto went on to explain, “Since I live with my family, they might not feel comfortable with it. I know they will love you for sure, but they don’t know who you are yet, Haru-chan.”

“Oh,” Haru said, and that single syllable uttered so lowly, combined with Haru’s downcast gaze, was enough to pluck at Makoto’s weak heartstrings. 

“Wait, I know!” Makoto piped up, an idea coming to him, “There’s a house in my neighbourhood. It’s been empty for years, since I was a kid.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Whenever I ask someone, they just say it’s meant to be empty. That it’s waiting for the rightful person to return home.”

“Weird,” Haru murmured, and Makoto voiced his agreement.  

“Ah, but anyway! I think you can live there, Haru! Since it is pretty much abandoned, you won’t have to pay for it. And I can help you fix up anything that’s broken and get you the things you need.”

“Is that really okay?” Haru questioned, as if it all sounded too good to be true. 

“Yeah, and it’s close to my house too. Almost like neighbours,” Makoto added on, and although he didn’t know it for Haru that simply sealed the deal.

“I’ll live there.” Haru stated, his voice ablaze with thinly veiled eagerness, “Will I go to school with Makoto, too?”

“Hm, well the school year is already over,” Makoto said, humming lowly, “But there is still final year left. If we enrol you to Iwatobi High now, you can start with me as a high school student next year.”

Haru perked up, “Really?” 

“Yeah! I-If that’s what you really want, I mean–” Makoto stuttered, worried he had gotten ahead of himself again and didn’t consider Haru’s wants and needs. 

“I want it. I want to go to school with you.” Haru iterated, not a drop of uncertainty in his tone. 

Makoto was over the moon, “Okay, then it’s decided. We’ll get it sorted out soon, how does that sound?” 

“It’s good,” Haru replied, his simple words evoking so much more emotion than Makoto thought possible. 

Silence fell over them for a while, and they simply enjoyed each other’s warm presence as they walked home with the sunset.

Then, Makoto stopped, and voiced the worry that had been niggling him ever since he had seen Haru today, “Are you really okay with this, Haru?”

“This?” Haru repeated, having stopped too and standing opposite Makoto. 

“Being human.” Makoto clarified, a flicker of fear running through him at the thought of Haru being unhappy or regretting his choice. 

“If you’re here, then it’s good enough,” muttered Haru, the wind sweeping through his fringe as I fluttered over his forehead. 

“Haru,” Makoto whispered, touched. 

There was no one who could touch his heart like Haruka.

“From now, let’s always be together,” Makoto murmured, taking Haru’s hand in his and squeezing his fingers warmly. 

“Wherever Makoto goes, I’ll go too.” Haru stated firmly, stepping closer to Makoto and taking his other unoccupied hand in a gentle hold. Their hands were only holding onto each other, and it was the best feeling Makoto had ever experienced. 

“I love you, Haru,” Makoto murmured, stroking his cheek with his knuckles and then cupping it tenderly. He cradled Haru’s delicate face in his larger hands as if it were the the most precious thing in the universe. 

“I love you, too.” Haru whispered, and sealed their lips together tenderly.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's the end! How was it? :D I hope it ended nicely for you! 
> 
> This is my first time writing a mermaid!AU, but I really enjoyed writing it! Merman Haru is such a pure angel, and student Makoto is always a sweetheart ^3^ maybe I will post more stories of them in the future!


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